


Thirty Years Later

by Antigonesev



Category: MASH (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-21
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-05-15 07:03:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5776129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antigonesev/pseuds/Antigonesev
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of small viginettes that peek into the lives of Hawkeye & Mulcahy thirty years later; mostly one-shot short scenes that take place during the 1980s/90s.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is still a WIP and I wrote this in one night; this is unedited so please forgive any errors and sloppiness. Hawkeye is Grandpa and Mulcahy is Granddad. Their daughter is Alice Mulcahy, and their son is Alan Hunnicutt (Alan married Erin Hunnicutt, and changed his name in this universe).

“BJ, slow down, what? FRANCIS!” Hawkeye yelled to the other room, walking through the house with the phone on his shoulder. “BJ’s on the phone. Something’s happened to Erin, and he’s pretty pissed off about it.”

“I think this may explain it.” Mulcahy came into the room, followed by their son and a tall, athletic girl that only could be Erin Hunnicutt.

“I think I found them, Beej.”

“Dad, can I keep her?” the boy joked, as the girl hit him in the arm. 

“I think your dad may object.”

“Yeah, I keep him, not the other way around.” the girl replied after a moment, a dangerous smile on her lips. 

“I think we’ll be fine.” BJ said after a moment, the laughter making shivers go up Hawkeye’s spine. He still hadn’t forgotten the great Prank War of 1952.

*******************  
The children shouted, arranged in neat rows and wearing fresh white uniforms. The two old men in the front row only had eyes for a tall, slightly gangly girl in pigtails, who was in the back row, nearly as tall as one of the smallest adults present.  
“What did you tell her? she has that look on her face. Did you tell her another 4077 story, Dad?” a thirty-ish young man asked the taller of the couple.  
“I… might have.”  
“She rounded up her friends and had a craps game in our driveway last time, Dad.”  
“It was a good one, I promise. BJ can attest to that; he was visiting."  
"Daddy! Do you really have to tell them those M*A*S*H* stories? we still haven't gotten the skunk smell out of Hugh's jeans after last time."

*************

“Grandpa, can you tell us a 4077 story? please?” Brown eyes stared up at Hawkeye. Children crowded around him, sticky lemonade dripping down on concrete. Strong blue eyes glanced down the yard to the man in the garden, laughing quietly behind a gloved hand. 

“You reap what you sow, Hawkeye!” John chortled from afar, holding up a trowel in a salute as children watched the byplay between the couple, used to their affectionate conversations. 

“Okay, which story do you want, kids?”

“The one where the circus came to visit.”

“The circus?” Mulcahy asked, raising his brows. He’d like to hear how Hawkeye had spun this, since he knew that the circus had never visited the 4077…

********************

“Again, Granddad!”

“Again, Francis?”

“Again!” Francis Mulcahy II shouted, his arms reaching up to Mulcahy. Mulcahy let out a long-suffering sigh yet smiled, and picked up the young boy and rocked him on his knees. 

“This is how Colonel Potter rides his horse…”

********************

“You’ll be all right with the kids, Daddy? Papa?”

“We’ll be fine, Alice. We did okay with you and your brother, didn’t we?” Brown eyes rolled to the ceiling in an epic eye-roll. “Leia and Harry are fine, and Francis is down for his nap. Whatever could happen? Alice, you need a rest. Go.”

“Famous last words, Hawkeye.” Francis retorted a hour later, flour covering the floor and walls of their small kitchen. “Where’s Leia?”

“I thought this was Leia.” Hawkeye exclaimed, holding the hand of a flour-covered child. 

“Grandpa, I’m Harry!”

Giggling echoed from the other room. Francis ran as fast as he could, but it was too late. Beautiful braids lay on the bathroom floor. 

“Granddad! Now I look like you!”

“Yes you do, Leia.” Mulcahy wondered how he would explain this to Alice.

*****************

“GRANDPA!”

“GRANDDAD!”

Children ran from one room to another, the ancient floor squealing loudly under the abuse. 

“What’s gotten into all of you?! Hey- don’t you live down the street-?”

“DOCTOR WHO IS ON!” the children all but shrieked, dragging Hawkeye out of his kitchen chair. 

“Francis?...” Hawkeye nearly begged.

“You reap what you sow.” Francis said quietly as he sipped at his cup of tea. He wasn’t the one who introduced Doctor Who to the children. 

*************************  
“Not another one, no, I can’t take it.” Hawkeye sighed, his head in his hands. “Don’t they have enough already?”

“Well… I’m pretty sure we’d have gone the same way, too, Hawkeye.”

“You’re Irish! It’s practically the law.”

“Yes, and Alice seems to have embraced that fact.” Mulcahy said evenly, sipping at his cup of tea. “Although, I know how much you love it every time you hear-”

“GRANDPA!”

“That.” Mulcahy finished with a small smirk, as the pounding of feet boomed through the house and a pack of children ran into the kitchen, a plate of cookies magically vaporizing in thin air a moment later.

*********************

“Please, please, I have to do this.” blue eyes filled with tears. 

“Seriously?”

“Yes.” the tiny voice was filled with determination. 

“Fine, but you didn’t get the idea from me.” Hawkeye said with a sigh as he placed the hat on the small boy’s head. The boy beamed up at him, dressed in black pants, and a black collared shirt. The outfit was complete with an over-sized pair of glasses and a handmade sign hung over his neck that read “FatHeR MuLCaHY” in a kindergartners first attempt at writing.

“Do I look like Granddad?”

“Yes, you do.” Hawkeye smiled as he handed the faded photograph to his small grandson. “One final touch.” A battered, faded Panama hat sat on the boy’s head. 

“Is Francis ready for Trick-or-Treating yet? his sister and brother are waiting for him, they want to know what his costume is.. Have you seen my Panama?”

"Yes, it's right here."

*****************  
Mulcahy heard a snigger. It usually meant trouble, especially when the twins were supposed to be napping. Turning up his body aid, he glanced around to see what they had done now. 

“I see. Leia, Harry- I don’t think this is a proper naptime. And stop trying to ride the dog, Harry- he doesn’t like that..” Henry didn’t mind, but it was best that he be left alone to rest his weary bones in the warm sun away from enthusiastic four-year olds.

“But Harry’s Colonel Potter, and I’m Grandpa, and Frank Burns is the ferret.”

“What? … Oh dear, HAWKEYE!” Mulcahy called out gently, not to startle the skunk his three-year old granddaughter had befriended. “You’ve been telling them MASH stories again?!”

“Well.. they did ask for a naptime story.”

“Hawkeye. Your problem.” Mulcahy said with a sigh, picking up the boy while Hawkeye stared down the girl, trying to decide whether or not to laugh or cry. 

**********************  
“And what do you want to be when you grow up, young man?” the reporter asked, sticking the microphone in the face of the twins. Hawkeye glanced down with a smile, almost fearful of what the twins would end up saying- it never bode well. 

“I want to wear pretty dresses like Klinger.” Harry said with a nod. “He has a pretty chiffon dress that he wore to see General MacArthur in.”

“Is this LIVE?!” Mulcahy hissed into Hawkeye’s ear, bordering on laughter as poor Alice tried to coax Leia into saying something adorable. 

“Mama, but I REALLY want to play poker and get money for the church like Grandad does.”

“Okay, your turn.” Hawkeye laughed as he edged away from Alice.

“It went to the Orphans, Alice!” Mulcahy said with a long-suffering sigh as he eyed Leia with slight amusement. Of all those lessons he taught her, the poker stuck. Really?  
******************************  
The twins sat on the bench outside of the office. Of all the people they could call, they had called Hawkeye and Mulcahy; they had been referred to the two men for some reason- the secretary smiled up at the old couple as they entered the school. 

“Leia and Harry just wanted you two to deal with this. Alice thought it was appropriate, for some reason. Mr. Holmes will see you in a moment. Please, sit.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. May I ask.. why are Leia and Harry here?”

“Oh, we just wanted to teach them not to tell fanciful stories to scare the children. Harry and Leia were telling the children about some man who operated on someone using a Tom Mix pocketknife, of all things. They of course, had to add in bombs and all of those awful soldiers, and…”

Mulcahy emptied his pockets and placed his Tom Mix pocketknife on the counter. 

“Ma’am, meet Captain Francis John P Mulcahy of the MASH 4077th, Uijongbu, Korea.”

“I TOLD YOU! GRANDDAD IS A SUPERHERO!”

“And what about Grandpa?” Hawkeye asked derisively with humor, his brows raised. 

“You’re … Grandpa?”

“close enough.” Hawkeye said with a shrug as the twins hugged him fiercely. “I guess those MASH bedtime stories pay off.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The years pass, and the Mulcahy-Pierces remain busy as ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the OOC-ness... but I needed some kind of plot for the viginettes to keep some kind of structure. Daryl is based on Daryl Dixon (but NOT Daryl Dixon, it is NO WAY a crossover) and Miss Charlie is just an OC I made up. The nasty Dolores IS indeed based on Dolores Umbridge; she's an excellent villain. I'm not too sure about this chapter but... it's worth a shot. Not beta'd so forgive me.

Francis eyed warily the brood of grandchildren who lived a few doors down the street, he knew Alice and Jonathan had decided to stop, but he still braced himself for further surprises. So far it was at lucky number four with the twins Leia and Harry; and the little namesake Francis John Mulcahy-Pierce II, and a new addition, Benjamina Minerva, much to Francis’s dislike. Francis had been praying fervently for a brother, and Leia was thrilled to add another female to the ever-growing Mulcahy-Pierce household. 

 

“Granddad!” the voices filled the quiet crisp air, footsteps thundering down the concrete walk from the bus stop. The crinkle of paper filled the air as three hooligans and several other familiar faces crowded around Mulcahy as he sat up from his gardening in the front yard. 

 

“What is it, children?” he asked softly, turning off his body aid as he watched the eager little faces chattering as a paper was shoved at him. 

 

“Granddad, we know you run and Grandpa Hawk told us about all the races you won in the MASH.” Francis II said in a hurried breath, his older siblings standing by his side and nodding.

 

“Jogathon?” Mulcahy asked, reading the paper and letting small voices wash over him. “I’ll talk with Grandpa Hawk and see if we can help you, yes.” Mulcahy said with a small smile and nod as cheers rose from the small crowd. It seemed that the children insisted on taking the MASH stories to heart, and having a jog a thon to help their school. 

 

*******************

 

“A jog a- thon? Do we need to do anything?” Hawkeye asked as he put down the torn and crinkled paper on the kitchen counter. Blessedly free of children for the day, Hawkeye and Mulcahy sat at their kitchen counter with a cup of tea and coffee to catch up after a long day of chasing grandchildren and patients. 

 

“No, but Leia and Harry insist that we help out because of your damned stories.” Francis said with a nasal laugh. “They think that if we help, they will raise enough money to help their library stock up on books, AND to help the fix-it man fix the school. I think I agree with Alice, they have been listening to too many MASH stories at night.”

 

“They have good hearts, Francis, just like you.” Hawkeye replied slyly, his mouth curling into a smile as Mulcahy sighed and gave up. It was hard to compete with Hawkeye once he got into a romantic mood… which Mulcahy took full advantage of as soon as he finished his tea..

 

*******************

 

“Grandpa, when did you know you loved Granddad?” Nine-year old Leia asked, as Harry hauled some rocks over in the garden for Grandad. Hawkeye’s head shot up from the battered novel he had been reading. 

 

“What do you mean, Leia?” Hawkeye asked after a heartbeat of silence. He wasn’t sure where she and Harry picked up half their harebrained ideas, and had learned to ask questions before answering their own questions. Not after the ice-cream fiasco of ‘81. 

 

“Well, Mom and Dad had a new baby and all of that junk. Jenny’s okay, but you and Granddad adopted Mom and Uncle Alan. Mom says it’s the people that you love that make a family, not the people that you’re born to.” Leia said with thought, resting her chin on the railing of their porch, swinging her thin body along the side of the porch railing as she shrugged. “I was thinking … How do you know you love someone? I really want to help someone, there’s two people who love each other but.. I don’t know, really. It’s silly and junk.”

 

“Leia, I knew your grandad was the one for me when.. When we left Korea together and alive.” Hawkeye said with a sigh, knowing his granddaughter was old enough to know about the grim realities of the war, having grown up in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, and now the Gulf, whatever was brewing in the middle east would affect her as well. “Why all of the questions, anyway?”

 

“You know the school librarian, Miss Charlie? She smiles at us all of the time but has a special smile for Mr. Daryl, her face turns all pink and she has a funny voice when she talks with Mr. Daryl, who doesn’t really smile a lot and is sad a lot. He was in The Gulf and lost his hearing like Grandad did. I think he needs somebody like Miss Charlie to make him smile like Grandad makes you smile, Grandpa Hawk.” Leia said as she swung over the railing to settle herself on Hawkeye’s lap to tell her tale of the lonely fix-it man at the school. 

 

“I see. Well-  Well… do you know the story of Soon-Lee and Klinger?” Hawkeye began after a long pause.

 

***********

“Are you sure? Is it official?” Hawkeye asked with glee, tying up the balloons with gusto. “You didn’t hear wrong?”

 

“Ben, I had my hearing aid in, and I heard it clear as day- Alice’s announced she’s done. She’s officially done. Out of business. No more little demons.” Mulcahy laughed as Hawkeye gave him a warm hug. They loved their grand-children, but with five children in that small house, it was starting to get problematic about where to put all of the growing children- especially with the twins at twelve, Francis II at ten, and five-year old Jenny. Liam Patrick was the final straw, especially after Jenny had learned how to roller-skate. Hawkeye was still impressed at how fast he and Francis could still move. 

 

“Let’s have a drink- a drink to the straw that broke the camel’s back. William Patrick Mulcahy-Pierce.”

 

“Amen.”

****************

 

The phone rang, jarring Hawkeye out of a long nap. It had been a quiet week, with the grandchildren busy running and exercising for the jog-a-thon with Francis. He enjoyed the peace and quiet while he could. Picking up the phone quickly before it could ring again and wake Jenny even further, Hawkeye rubbed his eyes as he answered. 

 

“Hawkeye Pierce, can I help you?” Hawkeye asked as he eyed the baby, rocking her back to sleep before she could wake fully and begin crying. 

 

“Is this Leia and Harry’s grandpa Hawk, by any chance?” a feminine voice asked, with a twinge of England noticeable  in her ‘Harry’. 

 

“I’m afraid so, yes. What did they do now?” Hawkeye asked as he glanced at the clock; the children were running with Francis at the moment, so they couldn’t have done anything too serious to warrant a call at this time of the day. 

 

“I’m Charlotte Fox, Mr. Pierce- the librarian at Fanwood School. I’m sorry, I’m just a huge fan of yours, I have to thank Mr. Mulcahy for telling off that awful Dolores at the front office. He’s a legend now in the staff room.” the voice giggled youthfully. 

 

“I just wanted to thank you and Francis for all of the help you’ve given us. I couldn’t have pulled this together without your grandchildren- and the both of you. Could the both of you come to the jog and help us out? I’d really love it if you could tell one of your famous MASH stories that the twins are always going on about. Dolores just about DIED when she heard I was having you help with this project.”

 

Hawkeye felt like he had stepped in a parallel world, where he was ASKED to tell his MASH stories, instead of scolded. He made a small murmur of acceptance, not sure what to say to something like that. 

 

“Well, anything to put a bee in old Dolores’s bonnet, right?” Hawkeye asked with a laugh. The front door opened with a squeal, Francis coming in with the children. Hawkeye waved over Francis, mouthing ‘ _ School’  _ at him with a wink. “We have a fan at the school, Francis- a Miss Charlie Fox.” Hawkeye murmured to Mulcahy, his hand over the receiver as he listened to Charlie give him the details for their little visit to the school for the big day.

 

“...oh? So Mr. Daryl’s the fellow to go to if we need anything for the day?” Hawkeye asked as he leaned down to hand Jenny over to Mulcahy. 

 

“Sorry- I’ve been with the kids too long. They call him Mr. Daryl. He’s Mr. MacAirt to the staff, really.” the voice spoke as it slipped over to Jolly Old England, her vowels rounding out her ‘ _ Daryl MacAirt’   _ Hawkeye swore he could hear the young woman blush over the phone. 

 

“We’ll be there, Miss Fox, we’d be delighted to meet the infamous pair of _ Miss Charlie and Mr. Daryl. _ You are quite popular in our household as well.” Hawkeye replied slyly as he listened to the girl stammer out a quick thank you and farewell. 

 

***********

 

“Daryl.” the man introduced himself softly, piercing blue eyes intent on Mulcahy and Hawkeye’s faces, quickly shifting to Miss Charlie’s, the pair standing near the doorway that led to the gymnasium of the small school the Mulcahy-Pierce brood had attended for quite a few years.. 

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. MacAirt.” Mulcahy replied, his own faded blue eyeing Daryl behind golden spectacles. “Hopefully it isn’t too loud in there for you today- how’s the headaches?” Blue eyes blinked in surprise, widening slightly with a quick nod. 

 

“It’s fine today- how..”

 

“I have the same thing, Mr. MacAirt. Korea, 1953. Hawkeye has been with me since, he helps with the headaches.” Mulcahy replied simply, not wanting to bring attention on the younger man- the man was slightly older than the young librarian by his side, but not so old that it was strange. The man simply seemed to fit by the young woman’s side- they seemed to provide a strong balance. 

 

Yin and Yang. 

 

Hawk and Francis, thought Mulcahy with a quick smile as Mr. MacAirt,  _ Daryl _ , held out a hand in welcome. 

  
“Saudi Arabia, 1990.”


End file.
